Goodbye Summer!

Although it didn’t feel like it the last couple days, summer is on its way out.

I can’t say I’m really sorry.

While I love summer, and I love my summer vacation (I teach), I absolutely adore fall. It’s my favorite time of the year. I love going apple picking and getting cider donuts (swoon – although now I need to find out if they’re vegan. I might cry if they’re not.), going to the Alpine Slides, hiking, and enjoying the leaves changing colors. We live in such a beautiful area, and it gets even better when fall is in full swing.

I also really, really love going back to school, and all the school supplies that come along with it. Yeah – I’m a nerd. I go to Staples for fun.

All the students started arriving on campus this week, and classes start back up on Tuesday, so my summer vacation is very nearly over. What better way to end “The Summer of Marathon Training” (like the Summer of George) than with my 20 miler? I can’t wait!!! I’ll let you know how it goes!

Now it’s time to say farewell to summer with a recap:

Miles run (June – August): 218.6 miles – not as much as I originally had planned, but I had to scale back in June and July to keep my foot under control.

Biggest challenges:

Pushing through burnout – I think I’ve rounded the corner on that one now.

Keeping my plantar fasciitis manageable – which I’ve also gotten under control now – yay!

Biggest accomplishments: My 18 miler with Carrie, when I ran my fastest average pace for a long run (10:14/mile).

And of course, it’s time to look forward:

Goals for the fall:

Complete my marathon on September 26th and have a great time doing it! I know I can do it, and I can’t wait!

Complete my half marathon trail race on Halloween without breaking my ankle again (I’m paranoid). I’m not going to worry about my time since I’m just running it for fun and will be running it with a lot of other people, and in costume (wait until you see what we came up with!). I’ll also still be recovering from the marathon, so no expectations other than having fun.

Start P90X after I’m recovered from my marathon.

Run with my husband (he’s signed up for the 6 miler that’s part of my Halloween half).

Total miles planned (September – November): 402.3 miles

Biggest anticipated challenge: My marathon. Even though I know I can do it, I’m not expecting it to be a cakewalk!